Flying machine



June 1958 A. L. M. PIRRONE 2,837,302

FLYING MACHINE Filed Nov. 27, 1953 INVENTOR. ANTHONY LM. PIRRONE UnitedStates Patent FLYING MACHINE Anthony L. M. Pirrone, New Kensington, Fa.Application November 27, 1953, Serial No. 394,679 1 Claim. (Cl. 24449)This invention relates to flying machines, and more particularly, hasreference to a machine as stated that is operated from a standing,steeply inclined position, much like a rocket or guided missile, so asto take off from the ground at a correspondingly steeply inclined anglefrom the horizontal, thus to allow the device to be launched in aminimum of space.

An important object of the invention is to provide a device as describedthat will be compact, will occupy a small amount of space when not inuse, and will need a crew of only one person to operate the same.

Another object of importance is to provide a flying device of the naturedescribed that will include a tricycle landing gear so designed as topermit the device to be walked about the field or airplane carrierlanding deck with ease, and without changing the desired angularity ofthe device relative to the horizontal supporting surface over which itis being walked.

Still another object is to include in the construction a pair ofstabilizing wings which can be swung upwardly whenever desired to extenda flexible web in a manner that will increase the wing area.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a one man flying machine formed inaccordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational'view.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device, the device being shown on anenlarged scale and showing the side wings extended in dot-dash lines.

Fig. 4 is a rear end elevational view as seen from line 44 of Fig. 1,showing the side wings extended.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 1, the wings being spreadand the cockpit covered.

The reference numeral 10 has been applied in the several figures of thedrawings to a streamlined, tapered hollow fuselage or shell ofrocketlike shape.

To the rear end portion of the fuselage, there are secured transverselyspaced, V-shaped, depending, rear wheel frames 12, said frames havingcoaxial bearings receiving an axle on the ends of which rear groundwheels 14 are rotatably mounted. Forwardly of the rear Wheels,substantially medially between the ends of the fuselage, an elongated,depending front wheel frame 16, also suitably braced, is mounted, saidframe 16 being disposed medially between the sides of the fuselage, asbest shown in Fig. 2. In this way, the frame 16 is located for rotatablemounting of a front wheel 18 on the lower end thereof, said lower end ofthe frame 16 being bifurcated to receive the wheel 18.

While wheels 14, 18 are all disposed in a common horizontal plane, asshown in Fig. l, the frame 16 is so much longer than frames 12, as todispose the fuselage "ice 10 at a steep angle from the horizontal, .theangle being perhaps 60 degrees in some embodiments of the invention.This permits storage of the device in a small space on a landing field.or carrier deck, and this is of course very important in a device ofthis type. Further, the device is automatically positioned by the wheelsat the proper angle for launching or taking off, it being possible forthe pilot to remain in his seat while the device is being walked aboutthe field. In fact, it is considered possible that the wheels may bepowered under the pilots control, thus to permit the pilot to drive thedevice about to a desired location. The front wheel 18 would in thisevent be made steerable.

At opposite sides of the fuselage, and extending from a location spacedrearwardly from the tapered front end thereof fully to the rear endthereof, are wings 19 which are provided with pontoons 19 Wings 19 areformed with arcuately bowed outer edges, and are foldabiy connected tothe fuselages, as for example by hinges. The wings are hinged to thefuselage to swing outwardly to the dotted line positions of Fig. 3, atopposite sides of a cockpit 20 in which the pilot sits, the cockpithaving a cushioned backrest 22 for the pilots comfort.

A transparent shade 23 is adapted to be unrolled as shown in Fig. 5 toprotect the pilot from the elements.

Behind the cockpit there is provided a hollow compartment in which is amotor 24 of any desired type rotating a propeller 25, which pulls airinto a pair of intake tubes 26 mounted at opposite sides of thefuselage, having flared inlet ends 27, and having outlets in the motorcompartment.

Of course, a push button operation can be employed, through the use ofsuitable electric control circuits, etc. In this event, a possiblebutton arrangement might include a panel 34, having a first button tocontrol the walking on the tricycle landing gear, a second button tomake the device airborne, and a third button to provide for horizontalflight after the machine is raised into the air.

To turn the ship to left or right, a rudder 36 is hinged forside-to-side swinging movement upon the fuselage. A worm gear sector 38rigid with the rudder is in mesh with a worm 40 operable by a motor 42through the medium of a suitable speed reducing gear.

For controlling up and down movement of the ship, a pair of elevators 44are hinged to the sides of the fuselage and are rigid with worm gearsectors 46 meshing with worms 48 operable by motors 50. Push buttons onthe panel 34 are used to operate the rudder and elevators.

A push button is also depressed to swing the wings 19 outwardly. Securedto the wings are flexible webs 52 that are normally housed in thefuselage. When the wings swing outwardly, the area thereof is increasedby the webs extending between the wings and fuselage.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent 1s:

A flying machine comprising a tapered shell, a cockpit in said shell,a'propeller at the rear end of the shell, wings hinged on the sides ofsaid shell, pontoons secured to the underside of said wings, intaketubes supported on the sides of the shell, said propeller pulling airinto said intake tubes, a rudder extending from said shell, a motor inthe shell forwardly of the rudder, a Worm in the shell operated by saidmotor and a worm gear sector rigid 3 with said rudder and meshing withsaid worm to turn the 2,158,598 flying machine. 2,571,586 2,670,910References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 51,362,292 Gunders'on Dec. 14, 1920 17,981 1,545,553 Dillingham July 14,1925 271,164

1,624,475 Coe Apr. 12, 1927 4 Watter May 16, 1939 Lane Oct. 16, 1951Hill Mar. 2, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1915 Great BritainMay 20, 1927

